30 Nights
by Lauand
Summary: Never, ever, brag about anything when you’re drunk. Yaoi. Unusual pairing.
1. First Night: The Beginning

**  
Author:** Lauand (Cierzo)

**Beta:** Bookofnicodemus (Sex Slave #6)**  
Theme:** #4 – Darkness in my heart**  
Rating: **PG-13 for this chapter**  
Disclaimer: **Not mine.**  
Author Notes:** This is my contribution to the 30nights LJ Community. Thank you very much to Books (you, sexy thing) for the beta-ing.

**30 NIGHTS**

_First Night – The Beginning_

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"Of course I could!"

"Are you willing to bet on it?"

"Name your price."

And so, everything began. Never, ever, brag about anything when you're drunk. Your so-called friends will laugh and say you're exaggerating, you'll be piqued, they'll dare you to do something to prove your point, and you'll accept.

Unfortunately, Milo tended to forget that simple truth when he went out. Egocentric ass that he was, he always had to boast about the endless list of people he had bedded and his awesome sex prowess. Ha. It had been child's play for Aphrodite to engage him in that stupid wager to prove his irresistibility, and the efficiency of his seductive technique. And the fool, of course, had fallen for it.

Several hours later, the stars watched as Camus helped the inebriated Knight of Scorpio climb the interminable flights of stairs that lead to their temples.

"You shouldn't have done it, Milo." The tone was neutral, the upbraiding words somewhat softened by the fact that Camus never judged him.

"And what'id you _expect_ me to do, huh?" The Knight of Scorpio grumbled, as he let his cold friend help him up a treacherous step. "My _honour_ was at stake!"

Camus walked up a couple steps more, until the other Knight's pace was steady again (more or less), before calmly replying, "That was not your honour, Milo. There's none in bedding someone just because of a foolish bet. It was your pride that was talking there."

"Grrrr…."

Two, three steps more.

"_Hic!_"

"Oh, for Athena's sake, Milo, don't hiccup!"

The Knight of Scorpio tried to cast a deadly glare at his colleague, but for some reason, it was not so easy to do so when drunk. Things moved constantly, and it was difficult to fix his sight on any one thing long enough to glare properly, so instead he chose to voice his protest.

"S'not'as if I could... help - _hic! -_ it! It's not my faaault…"

"Of course it is."

"_Hic!_"

"You wouldn't be hiccupping right now if you hadn't gulped down so much alcohol."

"Camus, you'rrre a boooooore."

"And you're a drunkard."

Milo could have argued against that, but didn't want Camus to finally get fed up and leave him alone to climb up the rest of the stairs on his own, so he wisely chose to agree.

"Hmmm… _Hic_… fair 'nough."

The silence fell upon them again, the only sound that broke the night being the rhythmic thud of their feet on the pavement in their ascension to their shrines.

"Camusss…"

Another step, and another one.

"Hmm?"

Another flight of stairs left behind.

"Who designed this... damned Sssanctuarrry! And why the Hell'id they... put so many... damned _stairssss_ in it!"

Ignoring the indignant tone of his friend's voice, the Knight of Aquarius went straight to the point. "That's not what you were going to ask. Go ahead; what is it?"

After some seconds of hesitation, never altering the pace of their climb, Milo let it out: "You'rrre ssooooo obserrrvant… you know... Shaka and I have, _nothing_, in common so… how shhhould I _approach_ him?"

Camus let an irritated sigh escape his lips. "That's the problem, Milo, you SHOULDN'T approach him. There's no way I'm going to help you with this. And for Athena's sake, give up drinking altogether! It makes you either drop your mask completely or wear a very ugly one, so do everybody a big favour and stop being either vulnerable or the ass you were before in the bar."

Milo sighed. It was a rare thing indeed to hear such a long speech from Camus and so passionate. He knew he had fucked it up again.

"I can't jussst back off now, my frrien'. I just _can't_."

Just one more flight of stairs and they would be there.

"You can," came the cool answer. "But you won't."

"Ok, you can leave me in the... the entrrrance… _hic!_" the drunken Knight said when they finally reached his temple. "I can manage from 'eerrre."

"Like Hell you can. You'll drop dead on the floor and fall asleep. I'm tucking you in."

"Mmm…" Milo purred as he tried to dodge a table without success. But at least, the good thing about being hopelessly boozed is that you are invincible, and the corners of the furniture you run across can't hurt you. "You could do morrre'an that… and I'll show you firrrst hand what all that talk about my amazing abilitiesss're all about…"

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Camus firmly pushed his friend's face away from his, and lead him to the bedroom. "No, thank you very much."

Milo giggled as he was thrown unceremoniously onto his bed.

"Aaah… Aioria'sss face was prriiiiceless... during the betting…"

Used to sudden changes in conversation from the other Knight, especially when he was sloshed, Camus simply replied, "Of course he was upset, Aioria likes Shaka. No wonder he wasn't pleased when he heard you claim him as your prey."

"Hey! It wasn't meee who started it! If Apro… Ashro… _hic_… if _Aphrodite_ hadn't said that I wouldn't be able to _seduce_ him…"

"It's childish to get worked up over such nonsense. It's your fault for falling for Pisces' stupid trick."

"Bah." Taking off his shoes, Milo did his best to get between the covers until Camus lost his patience and really did tuck him in. "Aioria should have made 'is move aaaaages ago. It's obvious that if anything, Shaka NEEDS to get laid. I'm prrrobably doing him a favourrr."

Shaking his head with incredulity, Camus wondered why he was so fond of such a bastard.

"Milo, for being a Knight of Athena, you've got a dark, rotten soul."

"The... Darkness within the Light… I'm the scorpion, you know."

"And we're supposed to save the world..." Camus murmured with sarcasm.

"Oh, yesss… but who'll save US?"

"You're impossible when you're sober. Drunk, you're just hateful."

"It could be worse, y'know… _hic_… I could be Deathmask."

Inwardly agreeing, Camus simply turned back in silence to abandon the Scorpion temple, but Milo's hand pinching his sleeve deterred him, and made him look again at the drunken Knight.

"Camus, are you... disappointed in me?"

Faintly smiling at the frailty of the question, so out of character for his friend, the Knight of Aquarius softly answered.

"No. For that, I should have had some hopes for you to begin with."

Understanding the answer for what it truly was, Milo smiled, relieved.

"Good night, my frien'."

"Good night, pain in my ass."

And with that, the Knight of Aquarius exited the room.


	2. Second Night: Sleeping Beauty

**Author:** Lauand (Cierzo)

**Beta:** Bookofnicodemus (Sex Slave #6)

**Theme:** #23 – Like a piece of art

**Rating: **PG-13 for this chapter

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

**Author Notes:** This is my contribution to the 30nights LJ Community. Thank you very much to Books (you, sexy thing) for the beta-ing.

**30 NIGHTS**

_Second Night – Sleeping Beauty_

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Milo had spent the whole day planning what his course of action would be. Should he go and pay Shaka an early visit? Or would it be better to wait and meet him on the training grounds? Did he actually _train_ like the rest of the Knights...? Or did he only meditate? Would it be impolite to interrupt him in the middle of his meditation? Then, when would be the best time to do that, and what time could he get him in a moment of leisure? Should Milo wear his armour? Would Shaka interpret that as an offense? What did clouds smell like?

Too many stupid questions to answer at one time. Was it just his imagination, or did he really not know the Knight of Virgo at all? Damn. Okay, no need to worry; as always, Milo would trust his instincts and act on impulse. So far, it had worked pretty well for him..

And so, it was decided. He would go to the temple of Virgo at night, wearing, instead of the armour of Scorpio, just casual clothing and his usual charm. He would just test the ground and ascertain what the better course of action would be in the future. Yeah. That sounded quite intelligent.

Congratulating himself for his cleverness, he took the first step down towards Shaka's temple.

----------------

The place was dark and peaceful. Part of this tranquillity, Milo supposed, was due to the subtle, underlying cosmos of the Knight of Virgo, protector of the shrine, which could be sensed all around. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, until he could make out the sparse furniture in the building; then he crossed the inside of the temple unhindered. That surprised him. For being the mysterious, cryptic, cold and introverted guy of the Sanctuary, Shaka had his defences rather open to strangers.

The perception of the wan glow of a candle spilling through a door left ajar took him out of his musings and led him to Virgo's bedroom, or so he assumed was the use of the quarters, at seeing the sleeping form lying on a simple bed (rather a pallet) in a corner of the room. So Shaka was a morning person… and quite the monk, judging for the austerity from his personal belongings…

He didn't linger in his exploration of the temple, having more important things at hand; he walked stealthily to where the blond Knight was resting and sat down gingerly on the bedside. The Knight of Virgo really was a sight. He had always thought him beautiful. More than handsome or attractive, Shaka was beautiful. In a delicate way. More like a girl than a male warrior. Milo smirked at the thought of it. If Virgo learned what he was thinking, he would be mad for sure. Or maybe not. Damned be that man and his surrounding mystery…

Yeah, Shaka had a pretty face. Pale, flawless skin, interminable golden tresses that fell graceful around the sleeping Knight, long lashes, fine eyebrows, proportioned features, small, cute nose and… soft looking, pale rosy lips. Parted lips. Inviting lips. Tempting, enticing, ripe lips. Before he knew, he was leaning little by little towards the sleeping Knight. Surely he wouldn't mind, being unconscious and all that. Milo was sure Shaka would understand. Anyways, who didn't like being kissed? Closing the distance, so near that he could almost feel Shaka's warmth on his face, Milo breathed and had to swallow. The sleeping Knight smell so good… just a pair of inches more and he would taste him, just an inch, half an inch, almost there, so sweet it would be, so soft…

The sudden lashing of a burning cosmos sent him flying against the opposite wall and before he realized he hadn't even grazed those tempting lips, he found himself sitting on the floor, his bruised backside telling him more or less what had happened.

Maybe Shaka wasn't asleep after all.

The Knight of Virgo sat on his bed-pallet-whatever, glaring at him (and Milo had to admit that there is merit to being able to glare such daggers keeping your eyes closed), with his golden cosmos glowing softly around him, keeping himself immobile as if waiting for Scorpio to recover his senses.

"I'm not the Sleeping Beauty. Don't try again."

"Well, I beg to differ… maybe you weren't sleeping," while he talked, he checked himself carelessly for injuries; once he was satisfied, he directed again his piercing look at the sitting Knight, "but you're doubtlessly beautiful."

Shaka was too elegant to snort at cheap pick-up lines, so instead, he coldly replied, "Physical beauty is circumstantial. Your words are not praise in my eyes."

Milo refrained from remarking to the blond mystic that it was no wonder, having his eyes constantly closed and all, and countered instead, "It won't stop them from being a truth."

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought it was obvious…" with that, Milo stood up, brushing some dust from his clothes, "I was kissing you."

"No, you weren't. Is that the only reason that brings you to the Temple of Virgo?"

The Knight of Scorpio took the question as an offer to conversation and got near the bed again. "That and to ask a favour from you."

Shaka kept perfectly still and silent as Milo took a seat again on his bedside, waiting for the other Knight to elaborate.

"I thought that you could help me with my meditation." Scorpio was sure that as the man closest to God, renown mystic and in general, a nearly professional 'meditator', Shaka couldn't possibly refuse.

The Knight of Virgo took air audibly, "Meditation is a must for the Knights who base their techniques in the mystical power, like Saga or myself, or to help you find the path of enlightment, but what good will it do you, Knight of Scorpio, whose attacks are blatantly physical and deny the existence of any other truth but your own?"

"You're privating me from the benefits of meditation and the way to the Light?"

"No. I'm just doubting your reasons."

"I find your incredulity quite impolite and offensive."

"And I find putting trust in you quite stupid and naïve."

"You offend me… won't you take the word of a Golden Knight of Athena?"

Ignoring Milo's faked hurt, Shaka just answered as cold and calm as he always did, not even sighing at Scorpio's twisted rhetoric. "We are ourselves, not our titles. I won't take YOUR word. Not on this matter. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Milo leaned towards the still figure of the other Knight, knowing perfectly well that even with his eyes closed, Shaka was totally aware of his position and body language. Then, he almost purred, "and if I don't excuse you? What will you do?"

The next thing he knew, he was standing outside the temple of Virgo, the shining stars twinkling mockingly at him. The remnants of a foreign cosmos in the air (Well, not so foreign anymore. Just not his, but Shaka's.), made him come to the conclusion that the Knight of Virgo had teleported him out of his shrine without him even noticing.

"Wow."

Slowly, still stunned at Shaka's power and, why not admit it, his beauty and character, he climbed his way back to his temple. Grinning. At last, he had found his match.


	3. Third Night: Cup of Tea

**Author:** Lauand (Cierzo)  
**Beta:** Bookofnicodemus (Sex Slave #6)  
**Theme:** #3 – Seeking for you.  
**Pairing:** Milo/Shaka  
**Rating:** PG-13 for this chapter.  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine.  
**Summary:** Second try: Shaka 1 – Milo 1.  
**Author Notes:** Thank you very much to Books (you, sexy thing) for the beta-ing.

**30 NIGHTS**

_Third Night – Cup of Tea_

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When the direct approach didn't work, Milo's handbook of "Classical Seduction Tactic" (or "How To Get Into Someone's Bed"), advised to try and get near to the target's best friend.

He wasn't totally sure of the depths of any relationship the Knight of Virgo could have with anybody inside or outside the Sanctuary, but if there was someone friendly, peaceful and kind who got along well with the solitary Buddhist, that was Mu. After all, they had a lot of things in common. They were the only ones with dots on their brows, for example. That surely had to be a bond of some kind.

So, a plan began to take form in his head, and after all the duties for the day were over and the sun was starting to sink into the horizon, Milo descended to the Temple of Aries to have a little chat with the Armour Mender.

Crafter.

Artisan.

Whatever.

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"Hi," Milo greeted him at the doors with his widest, most inoffensive and innocent smile. "Will you invite me in for a cup of tea?"

Mu narrowed his eyes in suspicion and cautiously replied:

"You don't even like tea."

That was true, Milo admitted to himself. However, instead of openly agreeing, he chose to take a turn-about. "Oh, come on, don't be like that. A man has the right to change his opinion, doesn't he?"

After a moderately long silence, Milo still beaming, Mu looking at him mildly disinterested, with half-hooded eyes full of outright refusal at such a lame explanation, the Knight of Scorpio finally conceded. Turning his bright smile into some kind of slight grimace, he admitted:

"Ok, ok. I need your help. May I come in and have that blasted cup of tea or not?"

Rolling his eyes, Mu sighed and let the other Knight enter his temple.

After some minutes of brewing the infusion and some small talk, Milo finally explained what the visit was all about. Earlier in the day, he had pondered how he would break the subject to the Knight of Aries, and after much thought, he had opted for the honest approach. First, because Scorpio may deceive and manipulate, but he disliked an outright lie. Second, because being in his predicament, with the gossip of Sanctuary, it was stupid to think that Mu wouldn't have heard a word about it.

Unfortunately for the frivolous Knight, Mu disapproved of the bet and refused to help Milo even the slightest degree.

"You, too?" Milo whined accusatorily at Aries' sound refusal. "After coming all the way down to visit you, the least thing you could do was lend me a hand in this..."

Mu sighed.

"I'm never sure if you're speaking seriously or not when you spout this kind of nonsense..."

"Come on, Mu, you know you own me!"

Aries would have raised a questioning eyebrow at that - if he had one, that is - but even without that resource, Milo caught perfectly well his scepticism.

"...all right" Scorpio admitted, "not that I remember, but I'm totally sure I've helped you in some occasion. Pretty sure. Quite probably. Or maybe not, but I certainly had the will to do it..."

"Milo, forget it. What you're doing is wrong and in no way will I take part in this."

"Come on, pal. Just give me some tea. Or tell me which kind is Shaka's favourite, will you?"

That was what puzzled Mu the most. The fact that Milo was mainly interested in a couple of tea leaves. As though that was the key piece that would make Virgo fall at his feet. So, his curiosity piqued, he had to ask:

"And, pray tell, what makes you think that Shaka likes tea?" Which indeed, he liked, as Mu knew. But he still couldn't fathom how that fit in Milo's schemes.

"He's a mystic. All of you spiritual sissies seem to enjoy that sort of stuff."

That remark was followed by a lengthy silence and a dip-headed, long look from the Knight of Aries.

"Spiritual sissies." Mu repeated, just to be sure he had heard correctly. "Oooooooooookaaaaaaaay... now, you've really won me over." Then, as if he had suddenly experimented an epiphany, he added: "I've got it, why don't you go and ask Aioria for help, hm?"

"Ha, ha. You're so funny," was Scorpio's sarcastic reply to Mu's poisoned counsel. Then, as if giving up he stood up and got ready to leave the Temple of Aries. "Ok, I'll go on without receiving the wisdom of your advice..."

"I've OFFERED you the wisdom of my advice, but you won't listen!" Mu snapped as he, too, rose from his seat to see the Knight of Scorpio to the doors.

"Hmmm..." Totally non-committal, Milo avoided responding to Mu's upbraiding and, reaching the gates of the Temple, leaned towards the other Knight and affectionately kissed his cheek before stepping out of the Shrine. Looking with dismay at the interminable set of stairs that separated him from his Temple, he turned for the last time towards the other Knight and complained: "The least you could do is teleport me to my Temple, don't you think?"

As a reply, he got the loud 'bang!' of the doors as Mu slammed them on his face.

"I'll take that as a 'no'."

Unfazed by the seeming failure of his visit, Milo grinned lop-sidedly as he started his climb upstairs, producing in the meanwhile a little sack from somewhere in his attire, and throwing it in the air to catch it again in its fall. Playing with the stolen sack of tea, Milo thought on his way back up, that Mu was decidedly a good man, but a little bit naïve.

-----------------------

Well, it was highly improbable that Shaka would welcome him in his kitchen (if the mystic really had one... taking in account his semi-divine state, would he eat at all?) to prepare the tea, so Milo decided to take the risk and take a tray down with the beverage already prepared. After all, it was only two flights of stairs that separated him from the Temple of Virgo... If he was careful, he would neither overbrew it nor spilled too much of the drink in his short way down. It was worth the risk. Anyway, the intention was that counted. The tea itself could go to Hell for all he cared for.

As the other night, Shaka's Shrine was completely open, so Milo didn't need to juggle his way in with a tray. What was different, though, was the owner of the Temple himself. The close-eyed mystic was full armoured and sitting with his legs crossed at the end of the Hall, the dim light betraying his position and his calm demeanour. Milo wondered idly how could the other Knight bend to reach the lotus position with a Golden Armour on, but preferred to greet the other man with a more conventional overture.

"Good evening, Sleeping Beauty. How come you're still up and ready to battle this late in the night?"

Well, 'conventional' was a relative term, anyway.

"I knew you were coming."

"Now you're a clairvoyant? Buddha talks to you specifically to let you know when you're having a visit?"

Milo would have gladly kicked himself just the moment the words left his mouth. He was such a dork sometimes... appearing aggressive and sarcastic wasn't the best of tactics to not antagonize someone. But there was something in the perpetual calm of Shaka that made him nervous. And nerves always turned him into an asshole. Camus used to say that the nerves had nothing to do with it, that he was an asshole, period, but of course, Milo strongly disagreed. Most of the time, at least.

"I felt your cosmos approaching" Fortunately or not, Virgo seemed not to have taken offence. "Each cosmos has a unique taste and feel that gives away its owner."

Milo felt his lips curve into a sneer by their own will. That remark was soooo asking for a reply... Leaving the tray on the floor, he approached slowly and crouched gently by the static Knight, whispering suggestively in his ear, careful not to touch him:

"If you want, you can... taste... and feel more than just my cosmos..."

Shaka didn't snort, didn't even huff at the Knight of Scorpio's presumption, he just coolly answered:

"As the man closest to God, I don't share your earthly, physical drives."

Grinning at the expected turn the conversation was getting, Milo get a bit back to watch that unmarred, perfect features as he lightly inquired:

"You mean... you never feel bodily needs?"

"No, I don't."

"Then... you don't pee?"

Shaka couldn't help a little frown at that and Milo had to get a hold at his reserves of self-control to avoid bursting out laughing.

"I didn't mean that kind of bodily needs."

To Hell with seduction. Annoying the mystic was a lot more fun.

"Oh." Scorpio smirked. "Anyway, I was referring just to the tea," he gestured vaguely to the forgotten tray on the floor and faked a scandalized tone as the asked next "what were you thinking?"

"Uh-huh. The tea." Shaka was not stupid. He knew perfectly well what Milo was talking about when he had whispered about taste and feel. He let his voice express what he thought of Scorpio and his little verbal tricks. "Sure."

Ignoring the sceptical tone and interpreting the statement as the taking on the offer that he knew it wasn't, Milo went to the tray and handed the other Knight one of the cups he had brought.

Shaka hesitated nearly imperceptibly and finally asked, without taking the cup from Milo's hands: "Why me? Why this sudden interest in my Temple?"

Scorpio let down the cup and smirked lightly, shifting in his crouch to get more comfortable in the forced posture. "Maybe I'm trying to court you."

"What for?"

The smirk grew wider.

"I thought that was obvious."

Then maybe I didn't phrase the question correctly..." It was evident that Shaka was not interested in the end of the game, but its origin. "...Why might you be trying to court me?"

The lips still curved in that self-sufficient gesture, Milo got near the mystic again and gently whispered, "all in due time, my virgin, all in due time..."

Then, he vacillated just for a moment, wanting to reach out to touch the other but wary of the cosmos that had sent him away the last time. Finally, he let his hand down and very softly, blew a bit of air to the little expanse of neck that was exposed under Shaka's ear, just before the Armour covered the white skin.

Not enough provocation to make his cosmos burn and teleport the intruder outside, but slightly disturbing in its intimacy, the gesture made Shaka observe confused as Milo raised from the floor and calmly walked out of his Temple. Even with his eyes closed, he couldn't help but follow the self-confident figure with his senses.

Even after the signal of the cosmos of Scorpio had lost intensity in the distance, it took Shaka a while to get concentrated enough to resume his meditation.

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	4. Fourth Night: 'Conversating'

**Author:** Lauand

**Beta:** Bookofnicodemus (Sex Slave #6)

**Theme:** #34 – It's hard not to love you.

**Pairing:** Milo/Shaka

**Rating:** PG for this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

**Summary:** Milo keeps on trying.

**Author Notes:** Thank you very much to Books (you, sexy thing) for the beta-ing. Written for the 30Nights LJ community.

**

* * *

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**30 NIGHTS**

_Fourth Night – 'Conversating'._

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Tonight, Milo was planning to go back to the House of Virgo with another tray of (borrowed) tea and tons of witty conversation.

Of smart-ass remarks he always had plenty, but the tray was another story. He had left his in Shaka's shrine and it would be quite inelegant to go and retrieve it before coming back again with (Mu's) freshly brewed tea. If anything, Milo believed in theatrical entries and no less dramatic exits, and to have paused last night in his cool departure to take back the untouched tea set, juggling it on his way back to his Temple, would have somehow ruined the effect. Contrary to popular belief, Milo had discovered soon in his life that seduction wasn't an art you succeeded in with meaningful, extravagant gestures, but caring for the most superfluous, irrelevant details.

Which led him to his current predicament: where to get another tray from? The answer was so obvious that Camus didn't even miss a beat when Milo presented himself at his door.

"Of all the stupid ideas you not only come up with, but try to carry out, this is, if not the silliest, at least one of the most annoying."

"Camus, you're a sweetheart," Milo greeted back, unfazed as he let himself into his best friend's Shrine.

Not as austere as Virgo's one (Camus at least owned furniture), the Temple of Aquarius was nonetheless quite sober and functional. The spacious Hall was not very different from the ones his colleagues had, but the living section, far from luxurious, consisted of fastidiously clean rooms with scarce pieces of furniture that followed the same elegant, simple-lined style and were always situated in exactly the right place. Milo much preferred the chaotic state of his own living quarters - he had always thought that mismatched socks scattered around the room infused a place with life, gave away that the space was indeed inhabited and cared for-, but in a way, he felt at ease at Camus' place because he felt as if the rooms were the reflection of his friend's ordered, pure mind.

Taking a seat without being directed to do so, Milo waited as his French colleague followed his cue.

When he spoke, Camus' tranquil, deep voice didn't carry the tones of a question, just a bit of hopeless resignation.

"So, what do you need of me this time?"

One of the points that made the Knight of Scorpio consider Camus his closest comrade was the fact that the cold Knight knew him as if he had given him birth and in spite of it, he was still in speaking terms with him.

After updating his colleague of the events of the night before, Milo watched the other Knight shake his head.

"And if I refuse to lend you a tray, will you steal it, as you did with Mu's tea?

Milo frowned at that. He hadn't mentioned that particular detail of the story.

"How did you…?" he paused in mid-sentence and discarding the question as irrelevant, insisted upon the main object of his visit, instead. "Well, are you giving me the tray or not?"

Camus' usual conversational tone wasn't exactly what you would call a party, but Milo knew him well enough to notice the slight change in his speech. His low-pitched, serene voice suddenly sounded even graver than accustomed when he next spoke.

"Don't do it, Milo."

The Knight of Scorpio knew perfectly well that his friend wasn't referring to the tray.

"And whyever not?"

Camus sighed.

"Because you would hate to lose that bet, but you don't want to win, either."

Scorpio scowled at that.

"You're speaking in riddles again," Milo accused. As obvious as the reply to his testy question should have been, Camus had a way of making the simplest things obscure and twisted.

"No, I'm not," The Knight of Aquarius denied. He was still deadly serious. "Think about it."

With that, he palmed Milo's knee and stood up to resume whatever he was doing when the Knight of Scorpio arrived. Still with a puzzled frown adorning his brow, Milo called after him.

"Hey! Then… will you lend me the fucking tray or not?"

--------------------

Another of the points that made Milo consider Camus his best friend was that, whatever the links that bound them were, they were not of a parental nature. Camus was not his mother, nor tried to act like one.

Milo reflected about it as he headed down the stairs with two cups of tea carefully balanced on the borrowed tray.

For some unfathomable reason, Camus believed in Milo's capacity of knocking himself down with his own mistakes and standing up again afterwards somewhat wiser than before. Strangely enough, the Knight of Aquarius refused to acknowledge that some people (of whom Milo was certainly foremost), just never learned.

The Temple was exactly as it was the night before. Empty, except for the lonesome figure in the lotus position glowing at the end of the Hall. Because, yes, Shaka was glowing.

'I must not be the only sucker here for dramatic effects, after all.' Milo thought, amused at the sight of Virgo's softly burning cosmos.

"Hi," Scorpio cheerfully greeted when he reached the sitting man.

At the null response he got from the other Knight, he kept on trying.

"I've brought tea again. Would you mind making a pause in your (surely terribly important and life-saving) meditation and entertain yourself in a social visit? You know, that thing normal people do… have tea… conversation…"

Shaka cocked his head slightly at that. Milo couldn't decipher if the gesture was so subtle due to the Buddhist's natural elegance or to the high collar of the Virgo Armour.

"Conversation."

"Hell yeah, conversation." Milo replied at Shaka's doubtful remark. "As in… eeerr… you know, '_conversating_'."

If Shaka hadn't already his eyes closed, he could have probably blinked in the face of Milo's eloquence. As it was, he just pressed his lips almost imperceptibly, and retorted:

"Right."

Milo interpreted that as a signal for him to sit down and make himself at home. Which wasn't so easy a task while wearing his full Armour, but he was determined to prove that if Shaka could bend enough to perform his stupid yoga poses, he could at least get seated with a respectable amount of grace.

Thinking it wasn't a wise move to directly prompt the other Knight to do anything, Milo took one of the cups of tea hoping that Shaka would let down his defensive walls and follow his example, to show that he was starting to relax in the presence of his uninvited visitor. The Knight of Scorpio was already sipping the horrendous beverage when his companion softly asked:

"And what would you want to talk about, pray tell?"

Milo fought to find a trace of amusement in the words, but couldn't be sure there was any expression at all in Shaka's neutral voice. Damn, the man was difficult to read. Setting the cup down, he hummed a little, as if thinking, and finally posed his question.

"How come you look like a girl?"

Shaka raised a brow at that. Well, Milo thought, it was a reaction…

"If you're trying to compliment me, I must admit that, at least, it's original."

"You know, it's in the handbook," Milo answered with a grin and a playful wink. "Ask people to talk about themselves. They will enjoy the theme and you'll get valuable information."

For some reason, Shaka didn't seem much impressed.

"Uh-huh. Is it in the handbook, too, to make the overture with an insult?"

"Naaa… that's just my personal touch," Milo's grin grew wider. He took another distracted sip and insisted, "so, how come?"

Shaka, who hadn't touched his cup, answered as calmly and quietly as he did everything else.

"I was born that way."

Milo nearly pouted at that.

"I kind of expected a longer story."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"Yeah, you look devastated."

"I am."

This time, Shaka's apparent inexpressivity granted his sentences a fine sense of humour that Milo couldn't help but appreciate. That was the first time the Knight of Scorpio realized that Shaka was not as neutral and godly as he was supposed to be. He just used a different language. And in that moment, Milo made a vow to learn it and understand all those little signals that Shaka unconsciously emitted. He made a vow to figure the Knight of Virgo out.

With a wince at the bitter taste (tea was simply atrocious), Milo gulped down the rest of his drink and started to stand up. It was time to go back to his own Temple. He wanted Shaka to get accustomed to his presence and a bit intrigued maybe, not tired and sick of his constant flirting and prodding. Skittish animals responded well to constancy, and badly to pressure.

The Knight of Scorpio hesitated for an instant: the situation required somehow a sign of departure. Like a good-bye kiss after a first date. However, Milo suspected that Shaka wouldn't react positively to that kind of contact, yet. He wasn't particularly attracted to the idea of banishment from the Shrine of Virgo unless it meant instant teleportation through the endless stairs to his own Temple, and he had the feeling that Shaka wouldn't be so kind and considerate if he felt forced to expel a pushy foreigner from his own House.

So, what to do?

Slowly, he crossed the short distance that separated him from the Knight of Virgo and crouched beside him, feeling how the blond Knight gathered his cosmos just in case he had to make it burn, even if outwardly he was giving no reaction at Milo's bold approaching.

Calmly, making the movement obvious to give Shaka time to warn him if Scorpio was really crossing a line, Milo reached for one of the long tresses whose ends rested on the floor. Careful to choose one of the farthest away from the now tense Knight, he picked up the soft lock from the ground and tenderly, without tugging, caressed it with his thumb.

Then, he abruptly got up and with a swish of his white cloak, he turned on his heel and walked out of the Temple, resisting the urge to look back even once to glance at the beautiful Knight and the possible expression (or lack thereof) on his pretty face.

As said, Milo was such a sucker for melodramatic departures…

----------


	5. Fifth Night: Cards on the Table

**Author:** Lauand

**Beta:** Bookofnicodemus (Sex Slave #6)

**Theme:** #15 – Telling you the Truth

**Pairing:** Milo/Shaka

**Rating:** PG for this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

**Summary:** The cards are up and the game is revealed.

**Author Notes:** Thank you very much to Books (you, sexy thing) for the beta-ing.

-----------------------

Today had been a rather long and stressful day by Sanctuary standards. Milo had had no time to prepare any strategy nor go to the city and buy a dozen or more trays. He even pondered the possibility of skipping his daily (or more accurately, nightly) visit to the Temple of Virgo, but in the end he decided against it. He not only thought that it was important to show his perseverance and interest to the mistrustful Knight of Virgo, but he also enjoyed greatly the short conversations and puns exchanges between them. Shaka was not only pretty. He was fun. Who would have thought.

The atmosphere he sensed when he entered the foreign shrine was different, though. Something was out of place. The usual calm and peace that normally pervaded the place had been turned into an odd sensation of quiet tension. Like a perfectly immobile rubber band just about to snap. He was suddenly glad he hadn't brought any tray with him this time.

"I know about the bet."

Yeah, definitely glad.

Milo walked with his accustomed sure pace towards the cold voice that had just spoken. Shaka's tone showed no irritation, no anger, no feeling at all. It was a good thing that Milo didn't show any uncertainty either.

"Hmm…" the Knight of Scorpio wondered aloud when he finally reached his colleague, sitting as always in the lotus position, "has that sissy lapdog of yours told you about it?"

"Define sissy," the mystic calmly replied. "Because well, I'm not sure what you are making reference to, being all of us so macho and all…"

Outright sarcasm. Shaka had to be indeed annoyed if he was being so direct in his retorts.

"Well, not all of us… but I definitely am."

"Yes, I'm impressed," Shaka declared. "Now that I've confessed my absolute admiration towards you and your virility, would you kindly remove yourself from my Temple? Thank you very much in advance."

Wow. Virgo was clearly pissed if he was allowing himself to sound so caustic. The neutral tone could have been deceivingly inexpressive, but the aggressive words gave away the feelings of irritation behind that cold mask.

Letting his lips curve slightly in a little smug smile, Milo ignored the clear dismissal and got near the sitting Knight. At every stride, he could feel Shaka's cosmos expanding in a silent warning. Noticing how the Knight of Scorpio blatantly ignored the danger, Shaka felt forced to talk aloud.

"Don't think that because I keep my eyes closed I'm blind, Milo of Scorpio."

Milo's grin grew a bit wider.

"Then, can you see it Virgo? Your cosmos reacts to my presence…" he kept getting closer and closer, and lowering one knee to the floor, he brought his face to Shaka's, posing his cheek millimetres away from Virgo's, whispering directly in his ear, ignoring the impending explosion of Shaka's cosmos and his utter banishment from the place to get his words to caress the inner shell of the blond's ear as he softly talked, "it's getting hotter and hotter, burning… ready to explode at my touch."

Shaka didn't deign to reply. He knew perfectly well that Milo wasn't stupid and was aware that the heat of his cosmos was a sign of warning, not of excitation. So he just kept himself quiet and motionless, waiting for Scorpio to get the hint and go away or expel him himself if he finally crossed the limit and tried to touch him.

Being that close, Milo could sense the other man in every way possible. Every hair of his blond mane, the heat that his body emitted, the smell of his skin… For a fleeting moment, he felt like kissing him. But even reckless and boldly confrontational as his nature was, he knew he was treading a very dangerous line here, and that step would certainly bring his downfall. So he comforted himself with inhaling deeply and finally backing away. Shaka smelled clean.

Thanking Buddha for the passive nature of his adepts, Milo stood up and with a playful wink, he turned his back on the impavid blond Knight and walked out of the Temple of Virgo.

---------------------


	6. Sixth Night: Still There

**Author:** Lauand  
**Beta:** Bookofnicodemus (Sex Slave #6)  
**Theme:** #36 Don't worry, I'll always be by your side.  
**Rating:** PG for this chapter.  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine.  
**Summary:** Surrender is not a word that forms part of Milo's vocabulary.  
**Author Notes:** Thank you very much to Books (you, sexy thing) for the beta-ing. Written for the 30 Nights LJ community.

* * *

**30 NIGHTS**

Sixth Night - Still There

---------------------------

"I already know about the bet. Why do you keep coming to my temple?"

Against Camus' better judgement, Milo hadn't stopped visiting Shaka at night. In fact, that the Knight of Virgo knew of the bet only encouraged him more. Now started the real challenge. He was without the heavy weight of a bad conscience for misleading an innocent. Now Shaka was aware of his reasons, so Milo was being as noble as he was able to get.

Now at ease with his own mind, Milo had taken a break that afternoon to go to the cheapest place in town and buy the most hideous trays he could find. He agonised between the one with little hearts, the one with big dots or the one with ugly bears. He finally took the three. His guess was that Shaka had refined tastes and liked elegant but simple things. If Milo really wanted to impress him, it wouldn't be showing the exquisite taste he didn't have, but with the tackiest, most horrible item he came across with. That was to get Shaka's attention for sure, even if the mystic kept his eyes closed. If Milo could get past the front door, that is.

Surprisingly enough, he could.

"Who knows, maybe I'm still confident in my possibilities. Or maybe I just enjoy your company." Setting the white plastic tray with red and pink hearts on the floor, in front of the closed-eyed Knight, he took a seat opposite to the blond mystic. "And you? You already know of the bet… how come you haven't closed your doors for me?"

Shaka didn't 'hmpf'. He kept himself as calm and impassible as always.

"Why should I? I don't fear you, Milo of Scorpio."

"Then maybe, you're underestimating me."

Milo smugly grinned and took one of the cups on the tray, bringing it to his lips, watching Shaka perform his mudras in the strictest stillness. Strangely enough, his immobility didn't suggest tension, as stillness in an aware body normally would, but peace and control.

Shaka didn't reply to that last comment and Milo didn't press the issue. He slowly put the cup again on the tray, next to the untouched one and kept observing the other Knight for a while before speaking again.

"I never lied to you about it."

Not a single hair moved on that blond head. Milo started fearing that maybe Shaka was adopting a passively aggressive tactic of ignoring him when Virgo finally retorted.

"You never mentioned it, either."

"I would have. Surely. Any time."

"Uh-huh." Shaka's closed-off expression gave nothing away. Not irritation, not anything. "And, pray tell, if you really had a chance and seduced me, what would you do afterwards? Once fulfilled the bet, would you just cast me away?"

It was a fair question, if somewhat unexpected from the Golden Knight. Milo grinned before answering with certainty.

"Of course not. Don't you ever watch American movies? Following the handbook, I would helplessly fall for you like an idiot – because inside that frigid exterior, you're a wonderful person, and not the bastardly block of ice you look like – you would be upset after finding out about the bet, so we would break up. Then, somewhere along the way, we would have some enlightening experience (an accident, a talk with a friend, a relationship with an asshole, whatever) that will make us understand how great we both are and then we would get together again and have make-up sex."

A long, very long, silence followed that statement.

"I hope you're joking." Shaka finally said.

"And I hope you have noticed that, considering the probable outcome, you have stated as possible the chance that I might actually get in your pants." Milo's grin had widened considerably at this point.

"Sure." Even devoid of the ironic tone the words should clearly have, the Knight of Scorpio appreciated the blunt sarcasm behind them. "What's the American jackpot machines' trademark message? 'Keep dreaming'?"

"Keep on trying," Milo lightly corrected before starting to stand. "And that's exactly what I intend to do. Thank you for the hint. And for the tea, too."

Shaka declined to mention that it was Milo who had brought the infusion and sat in silence as the Knight of Scorpio winked at him and turned for the exit, leaving him to his meditation after their short interaction, like all those nights past.


	7. Seventh Night: Taste in Drinks

**Author:** Lauand

**Beta:** Madhumalati

**Rating:** PG-13 for this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.  
**Theme:** #24 My heart is bleeding for you.  
**Summary:** Little by little, Milo makes progresses.

**A/N:** Thank you very much to Madhumalati for the beta-ing. Written for the 30nights LJ community

* * *

**30 NIGHTS**

_Seventh Night - Taste in Drinks_

--

It was strange, but their relationship actually improved after Shaka learned about the bet. It was as if, knowing what to expect of the Knight of Scorpio, the defensiveness caused by the unknown had started to melt. Shaka was still cold and quiet, but in a way, he seemed more relaxed, nearly at ease in Milo 's presence. As far as Shaka was able to show being at ease, that is.

That night, Milo had brought the tray with little bears. It was nearly cute in its hideousness. Shaka's tea rested there untouched whileMilo took painful sips of his from time to time.

It wasn't as if Scorpio prepared stupid questions in his free time to throw at Shaka in their shared nights, but he always ended up asking them anyway. Maybe it was a gift.

"…By the way," he attacked again, "what does 'Ohm' mean?"

Nearly imperceptibly, Shaka sighed.

"It means 'May the foolish infidels who come to me with sinful propositions and silly questions all bugger off and leave me in peace'. Approximately."

"Wow," Milo grinned, "that's sort of an economical language you got there in Malaysia …"

"I'm from India ," Shaka impassively corrected.

"Exactly what I said."

Unfazed, the Knight of Scorpio took his cup and tried to swallow the rest of his tea without making a face. He must have been too obvious, because Shaka commented.

"You don't really like tea, do you?"

Good. A personal question.

"Honestly, piss tastes better than this beverage to me."

Shaka ignored the crudeness and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you in the habit of drinking urine?"

"Well, I've heard that is common practice amongst the mountaineers that get short of water in their way up. It can't be so bad if so many people do it."

Shaka couldn't tell if that little pearl of information was true or if it was Milo 's frantic imagination at work,but he didn't comment on it. He just tried not to wince at the imagery.

"If your seduction tactics include making me think you consume urine on a regular basis, I feel morally obliged to inform you that it's not working."

Milo burst out laughing at that. It had been a good comeback.

"You've got a fine sense of humour… how come you never show it?"

It was a bit unnerving, Shaka'slack of body language. Milo knew the Knight of Virgo would have shrugged at that, but the fact was that he didn't, and it disoriented Milo a bit to be able to catch the intentions instinctively, without the gestures or the voice tone that normal people used to express themselves.

"I suppose is the same with your conscience," Shaka mildly replied. "I know you have one. You just happen not to use it often."

"Mmm," Milo vaguely agreed, "thinking with the genitalia consumes a lot of time. None left for doing what I should when they tell me otherwise. So, what's your excuse, then?"

"That way, tiresome visitors don't feel like staying."

Oh, how subtle.

"If I didn't know better, I would swear you're trying to get rid of me…"

Shaka's lips looked like they were fighting to repress a smile.

"Maybe you do know better."

"Impossible. You have fun with me, don't try to deny it. Whoever else would provide you with silly bantering and dare to imply they have drunk piss?" Milo had a point there and he knew it, "I would even presume people don't even say the word 'piss' in your presence…"

Somehow, Shaka managed to sound grave when he next spoke. Not that his normal tone was especially light and flippant, but, after all, Camus was Milo 's best friend. Scorpio was used to catch the tiny nuances in his speech that gave away when he was being more serious than accustomed.

"You should stop coming here."

"No way." Milo was stubborn. "I still have a bet to win, you know…"

"What would it take for you to forget the bet and leave me alone?"

"What would it take for you to forget the bet and let me kiss you?"

Shaka inhaled and exhaled in what Milo had already labelled as Shaka's decaffeinated version of a sigh.

"I'm a good kisser, " Milo insisted.

"I don't doubt it." If Shaka didn't have his eyes closed, Scorpio supposed he would be rolling them. Or, well, on second thought, he probably wouldn't. But Milo was sure the inner sentiment was the same. Or, at least, quite near.

"So… may I kiss you?"

"Of course not."

"You'd love it."

"I'm sure, but anyway, I'll have to pass."

Milo pretended to sniff.

"You're so cruel, ignoring my feelings…" He whined.

Shaka was a terribly patient man.

"You don't have such a thing."

"You hurt me."

"Yes, I see you're deeply wounded."

Milo's whining evolved into a dramatic declaiming.

"My heart is bleeding, my soul is dying, I can't stand another day without you…!"

The faint trace of alarm could be hear this time in Shaka's response.

"Oh, no… no cheesy poetry! Out of my temple, now!"

Milo dropped the act and laughed. He started to get up, then.

"Ok, ok… I'll go to my temple and cry myself to sleep," his tone was light this time, contradicting his words, "you're quite the heartbreaker, you know…."

"Go away once and for all, will you?"

Milo grinned.

"As you wish. Good night, Shaka."

The Knight of Virgo didn't bid him a good night, but his cosmos was peaceful and kind. Milo hadn't expected a reply anyway, so he got out of the shrine with the contented feeling that always invaded him when he had spent some quality time with a trusted friend.

--


	8. Eighth Night: Of Trays,Walks&Superheroes

**Author:** Lauand

**Beta:** Bookofnicodemus

**Rating:** PG-13 for this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

**Theme:** #8 One last date.

**Summary:** Where Milo keeps on pushing and Shaka keeps on not yielding.

**A/N:** Thank you very much to Books for the beta-reading and for existing in this dimension. Written for the 30_Nights LJ community.

* * *

**30 NIGHTS**

_Eighth Night - Of Trays, Walks and Superheroes_

------------

"How come you keep on bringing me tea?"

"I wanted to show off my beautiful trays."

Today's tray was the monstrosity with big dots. Shaka's closed eyes were sort of gazing at it, which in Milo's humble opinion, composed a slightly disturbing picture.

Milo didn't try to touch his cup. Against his will, Shaka had to admit that it puzzled him, this odd routine of brewing and carrying around some tea that no one was going to enjoy. Even more reluctantly, Shaka felt forced to acknowledge that the Knight of Scorpio was not the predictable, dull moron that he liked himself to be taken for.

Shaka couldn't shake off the annoying notion that Milo had been right last night.

_I would even presume people don't even say the word 'piss' in your presence…_

In fact, they didn't. Except the man who was supposedly bent on taking him to bed. Shaka didn't try to fool himself into thinking he understood any of this.

"There's no need to waste Mu's excellent tea anymore," Shaka said, "you don't like it and I won't drink it, so you can try to impress me by bringing the crockery alone the next time."

Milo winced at that.

"I would feel stupid carrying household items up and down the stairs just for you to admire them, you realize..."

Shaka moved imperceptibly, signaling that he had just shrugged. Milo was starting to really get the hang of Shaka's non-existent body language.

"Your seduction strategy, not mine."

For an instant, Milo wondered wildly if he could convert the number of trays into the new currency when talking about getting into somebody's pants. 'It took me more than 16 trays to do him'. The idea was preposterous - therefore, he liked it.

"So, you think that the tea is excellent but you won't touch it," Milo remarked. "How come?"

Shaka did that non-shrug thing again.

"Because it is stolen. Because it comes from you. Because you can't brew tea to save your life. Take your pick."

Scorpio wondered if that meant that there was only one correct answer, that all of them were true, or that all of them were false.

Milo rarely _knew_ things. He just had a lot of gut feelings and had learned to trust his instincts when rational thought didn't prove to be enlightening.

"Then, you brew some tomorrow night," he demanded shamelessly. "I'm the visitor, after all. And now you can't say you don't have enough cups..."

To Milo's utter delight, the Knight of Virgo raised a fine eyebrow, but didn't refuse. It was amusingly incongruent the look of a man with his eyebrow lifted but both eyes closed. It never stop astonishing Milo.

"You know," he grinned, "there's some kind of Legend of Doom about you opening your eyes. They say that it unleashes the power to destroy everything under your gaze... more or less like Cyclops."

"Cyclops?" Shaka's eyebrow descended to its partner's level only for them to be drawn together in a delicate frown. "The mythical race of giants with a single eye?"

"No, silly!" Milo laughed good-humouredly, "Cyclops, from the X-Men!"

A long silence followed that clarification.

"...Who?"

"You need to go out more," Milo sighed, "and watch more television... hey! We could go to the cinema..."

Shaka's inexpressibility paradoxically expressed in no uncertain manner how seriously he was taking Milo's offer.

"Oh, come on!" Milo insisted, "it would be like going out on a date!"

Shaka exhaled.

"I don't think that's an argument with a high potential to convince me. Rather to the contrary."

"There's more to life than fighting and meditating, you know..."

"I'll choose, anyway, to miss all those wonderful things that according to you constitute life and stay here protecting the Sanctuary."

Milo gave in a little. A fraction of an inch. He hoped to lead with the example and make Shaka reach a compromise.

"Okay, not to the cinema, but how about a walk? We don't need to leave the Sanctuary and our dutiful cosmos will be alert against evil threats. How does that sound?"

"A walk," was Shaka's dry response. "And you've got the nerve to call me a sissy..."

"Aw, come on Shaka, it'll be good for you. Just a little walk. It's a very nice night outside, really."

"No."

"And why not? There are hundreds of reasons to do it."

"There are hundreds of reasons not to do it."

"Like...?"

"Like the fact that your sole intention with this is to make me fall into your bed. Or that I don't like leaving my temple unattended. You're obnoxious. Tomorrow we have to get up early. Taking walks is not what we're supposed to be doing. I don't want to give you false hopes. I don't want to give false hopes to the other Knights who might have been betting for you. We'll have to climb stairs up and down. It's unreasonable. I'm not going to let you romance me like a silly girl... is that enough?"

Milo smirked.

"No."

"No?"

"No. You didn't mention 'because I don't want to'."

"Because I don't want to."

"Too late. Let's go."

Milo grabbed Shaka's wrist to pull him up, but found that he couldn't lift his arm even an inch. More than Virgo's cosmos burning threateningly, it was Shaka's utter seriousness that stopped Milo from pulling harder. He didn't release Shaka's wrist, though - he only ceased the traction.

They stayed like that for some long seconds, in a weird version of a stare down but without actual eye contact.

Shaka still wore a completely serious expression that for some reason made Milo softly smile. No dragging, then, no violence. No force.

He started to caress with his thumb the little skin that Virgo's gauntlet didn't cover when Shaka conversationally asked.

"Do you want to lose your sense of touch, Knight of Scorpio?"

There was a swift summary of the implications in Milo's helpful mind.

"Err... no?"

Shaka's silence was more eloquent than any word, so Milo reluctantly released the other Knight's wrist.

"I suppose that means that you won't kiss me good-bye, doesn't it?" he mostly whined.

It was nearly a visual experience how Shaka gathered his patience. Worshiping Buddha sure paid off in that aspect.

"I think it's safe to state that no, I don't especially feel inclined to."

Despite himself, Milo laughed. He didn't want Shaka to think he was mocking him, but he just couldn't help it. Shaka was too rich.

"Pity," Milo declared. After a little hesitation, he added, "I didn't mean to force you to take a walk against your will," even Milo could hear how stupid that sounded, but he still thought it was the right thing to say. "I just wanted you to want to take that walk with me."

Not especially looking forward to an answer, Milo walked away towards the exit of the temple of Virgo before Shaka could deliver a reply.

For that reason, Shaka couldn't observe him long enough to decipher how much honesty and how much planned deviousness could have been contained in Milo's parting words.


End file.
